Process of making pine-needle fiber



7 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I JOHN B. N. BERRY, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PROCESS OF MAKING PINE-NEEDLE FIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,555, datedSeptember 30, 1890.

Application filed MarchZl, 1889- Serial No. 304,177. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. N. BERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing atBaltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in the Process of Making Pine-Needle Fiber,of which the following is a specification. The object of my invention isto supply a process for the making of vegetable wool or fiber frompine-needles, which shall econo-.

mize time and reagents, and which shall produce a long staple fit forthe best and strongest sacking and other cloths used for coarsepurposes.

I11 considering the structure of the pineneedle I find that the fibersthereof are incased in successive layers of silica and resin, which arethe principal obstructions in the converting of these needles into fiberfit for use in spinning and weaving. There is an outer layer ofparticularly-thick glazing of silicious material which it is necessaryto remove by the use of alkalies, and also, as in my process, byprevious mechanical means.

The first step in my process is breaking the needles. This is done,preferably, between tightly-pressed rollers, either smooth orcorrugated, and is for the purpose of loosening the silica whichsurrounds the fibers in order to more thoroughly impregnate the needleswith the alkali at the proper time and to allow said alkali to reachunder this silicious layer and attack the silica at all surfaces atonce. The needles having been thus rolled and pressed and the glazingloosened from the outside of the same, the next step in my process is toplace them within a boiler strong enough to sustain a pressure of fromtwo to nine atmospheres, or a temperature of from 212 to 350 Fahrenheit.Into this boiler I then introduce a solution of alkali, preferablybarium hydrate or sodium hydrate or carbonate, according to thecircumstances. This solution I raise to a temperature varying, as aboveindicated, from 212to 350' Fahrenheit. The efiect of this boiling ordigesting is to dissolve the silica in the alkaline solution, convertingit into soluble glass, which can be removed with the liquor. Thisboilingis carried on at this temperature for about five hours, according tovarious circumstances, and then the liquor is drawn off. After thedrawing off of this liquor warm or hotwater is run onto the needles andthe mass is well stirred for an hour or so for the purpose of rinsingout all the soluble glass and the saponified resin which remain amongthe fibers of the needles. When this has been accom-' plished there isstill a remnant of alkaline water soaked into the needles, and to removethis I soak the mass for some time in a hot but weak solution of someacid, muriatic or nitric acid being preferred. This neutralizes thealkali and carries it off when the acid is drawn off from the mass, atthe same time serving to precipitate the gum or resin in the needles.The needles are thus left in a soft mass; but each needle often carriesa film of soluble glass or silicious matter which has not been entirelyremoved. In order to remove this film by the shortestpossible operation,I prefer to run the needles thus treated between rubber or other pliableor partlypliable rollers in order to crack off this coating, which iseasily done away with by subsequent agitation of the needles in the restof the process. The last remnants of silica having thus been removed,the mass should be digested at a temperature below boiling-point. I thencleanse the needles in successive baths of successively lowertemperature in order to remove every trace of the silica. The next stepin this process after this rolling is the drying of the needles, afterwhich I hackle them and thoroughly decort-icate them.

This produces the wool or fiber, from which excellentmaterial may bespun and woven, which is particularly adapted to use in the making ofcoverings for cotton-bales and for use in making bags for fertilizer.Its adaptability for these purposes arises from the following facts: Ifind that when fiber from pine-needles is prepared as above disclosed itis very slow to catch fire, which is a property dividing this class offiber decidedly from jute, inasmuch as this last-named material isexcessively inflammable.

This fiber is also peculiarly refractory as against the influence of theacid in phosphates. Thus it is well adapted to be made into bags forcontaining phosphates.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact detailsand steps of the process as above described, as minor details thereofmay be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. The process of making pine-needle fiber, consistingof the following steps, to wit: breaking the outer coating of theneedles, boiling them under pressure in an alkali solution, digestingthe mass at a temperature below boiling-point, washing in successivebaths of water of successively lower temperatures, rolling the needlesbetween elastic rollers, drying them, and then hackling them,substantially as specified.

2. The process of makingpine-needle fiber, consisting of the followingsteps, to wit: breaking the outer coating of the needles, boiling themunder pressure in a solution of barium hydrate or carbonate of soda,digesting the mass at a temperature below boilingpoint,

JOHN B. N. BERRY.

l/Vitnesses:

E. B. STOCKING, EMMET L. MATTICE.

